Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from May 2009

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from May 2009

Portland neighborhood anxious about streetscape project.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf A lot is riding on North Portland's Denver Streetscape Project - such as Kenton neighborhood resident Jessie Burke's new restaurant, Posie's Cafe. Burke's eatery next week will open along North Denver Avenue, which...

Portland gets $30M more for streetcar project.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Portland's plan to extend its streetcar network east of the Willamette River passed a crucial test Thursday, securing the federal funding necessary to begin construction. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood...

The Nines finishes first at Daily Journal of Commerce 2009 Top Projects.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Efforts to turn the upper floors of the historic Meier & Frank department store building in downtown Portland into a luxury hotel captured the highest honor handed out at the Daily Journal of Commerce's 2009 Top Projects...

Portland workshop focuses on carbon footprints.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett At Thursday's Carbon Footprint Workshop for Business, Kaleb Miller was hoping to pick up a few tips on going green. Miller, the marketing manager for Zipcar in Portland, said his office already has taken measures to...

Oregon is sixth in the U.S. for wind power capacity.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Oregon ranks sixth in the nation in terms of capacity to generate wind power, according to a report recently released by the American Wind Energy Association. The top five in the AWEA first-quarter market report for...

Oregon State engineering alumni honored.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Forty-two alumni from Oregon State University's College of Engineering were honored recently during the university's annual Oregon Stater Awards. Based on the length of their engineering careers and contributions to...

Peers recognize Portland-area TriMet operators of the year.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Three TriMet employees on Wednesday were rewarded for their excellent driving records, customer service and attendance. TriMet recognized Tom Hall as its Bus Operator of the Year, Jonathan Hoard as its MAX Operator of the...

Commentary: OSHA may soon start flexing its muscles.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Rich Meneghello Industry, beware: A tougher Occupational Safety and Health Administration has stepped to the forefront. After years of less-stringent, cooperative enforcement, the pendulum is swinging back toward more vigorous...

Oregon-based WDY Structural promotes Doug Paola.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff WDY Structural and Civil Engineers has promoted Doug Paola to principal. Paola has provided project management and design on structural engineering projects at WDY for more than 12 years.

Vancouver-based IQ Credit Union promotes Jessica Crouse.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff IQ Credit Union has promoted Jessica Crouse to operations manager. Crouse was previously branch manager of IQ's branch in Battle Ground, Wash. She has been with IQ for more than 11 years, and has held various...

Portland-based A&I Benefit Plan Administrators promotes Debbie Roeters.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff A&I Benefit Plan Administrators Inc. has promoted Debbie Roeters to vice president of client and information services and Rich Crook to client services manager. Roeters joined A&I in 2004 and has 18 years of...

Portland-based Bainbridge announces staff achievements.
May 1, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Bainbridge has announced that designer Kelly Kratochvil is now a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional. It has also announced that designer Sermin Yesilada has been elected president of the...

Open house in Portland will look at designs of golf course work.
May 4, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Conceptual designs for a new clubhouse at Heron Lakes Golf Course will be available to view at an open house on May 13. Portland Parks and Recreation plans to replace the course's existing 3,620-square-foot...

Commentary: Oregon Legislature reaches turning point.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson Last week saw a literal turning point in the state Legislature. Members of the Oregon House and Senate had until this past Tuesday to pass their bills out of their respective committees.Bills that didn't die in...

Sale nearly finalized for hobbit-themed property in Bend.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf If one development's failure is any indication, then Oregon lacks furry-footed hobbits. Or perhaps they haven't been interested in buying homes in Bend. But last week, Bend's beleaguered themed village The Shire,...

Seven labor bills are headed to Oregon House floor.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Seven bills pushed by state Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian cleared key House of Representatives committees without opposition last week and are headed to the full House floor. The bills have already cleared the...

Portland Community College has two building programs accredited.
May 4, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Portland Community College has received accreditation from the National Kitchen and Bath Association for two of its programs. The accreditation covers the college's associate's degree in building construction...

Grant aims to reduce pollution at Oregon construction sites.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci The air around Oregon construction sites will get cleaner thanks to a grant to retrofit diesel engines announced last week. The $1.73 million grant, part of the federal stimulus package, will cover municipal fleets,...

City of Portland honors Building Safety Week.
May 4, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Portland's Bureau of Development Services this week will work to raise awareness about building safety during Building Safety Week. BDS will celebrate Building Safety: Where You Live, Work and Play through...

Vancouver Housing Authority awards contracts.
May 4, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Vancouver Housing Authority has awarded construction contracts to three Vancouver, Wash., contractors for renovation work at several of its properties. A $2.2 million contract was awarded to Merrill...

Degenkolb engineers trek into Italy's earthquake zone: Buildings from past 20 to 30 years fared well.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett After an earthquake in 1703, many of the churches in the Italian town of L'Aquila were ruined. Of the churches that didn't topple and were repaired, some survived surprisingly well in the earthquake that hit the town...

Bids sought for work on Interstate 205 bridges connecting Oregon and Washington cities.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Two busy bridges along Interstate 205 will get renovations under a project currently out to bid. The Glenn Jackson Bridge, which connects Portland and Vancouver, Wash., and the George Abernethy Bridge between Oregon...

Clackamas-based Emmert International tackles mammoth move of Salt Lake City building.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci A Clackamas company is in the middle of a Herculean effort to help an old building across the street. Emmert International has moved the Salt Lake City building, weighing nearly 5 million pounds, off its foundation...

American Institute of Architects makes necessary cutbacks, but avoids making staff reductions.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett The AIA 2009 National Convention in San Francisco, held April 30 through May 2, drew approximately 20,000 participants. Speakers at the convention, The Power of Diversity: Practice in a Complex World, addressed new...

Block by Block: 333 S.W. Taylor St. in Portland.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf When Amato Brothers Enterprises bought the Gilbert Building, in the 1920s, it was operating as a tenant hotel known as the Taylor Hotel. But that was not always the case. The Gilbert Building housed office space...

Macdonald Environmental Planning in Portland promotes Bailey, Edwards.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Macdonald Environmental Planning has promoted Bryan Bailey to project manager and Daniel Edwards to senior project manager. Bailey has been with MEP since 2007 and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental...

Reed Harmon joins Aginsky Consulting's Portland team.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Aginsky Consulting Group has hired Reed Harmon to its Portland consulting team. Harmon previously worked for a multinational commercial finance company managing marketing functions and conducting strategic...

Vreeling joins Pavilion Construction as controller in its Portland office.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Pavilion Construction LLC has hired Brian Vreeling to its Portland office as controller.

Oregon's economic index shows ups and downs in March.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Although it loosened its grip slightly in March, the recession is still holding firm in Oregon. And the state's economy doesn't show signs of improving during the next few months, according to a report released...

'Unconference for green professionals' in Portland prepared to play to packed house.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The economy may be down, but registration at Living Future 09 is up - way up. The annual event, which the Cascadia Green Building Council promotes as an unconference for green professionals, sold out this year,...

Retail center in Vancouver, Washington, adds new tenants.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report A women's clothing store and a yoga studio are two of five businesses that have moved into leased space at Hazel Dell Towne Center in Vancouver, Wash. The leases represent about 14,000 square feet of space at the...

Green science fair is scheduled for next week in Portland.
May 5, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Portland Habilitation Center Northwest is presenting the 2009 Solar & Sustainability Science Fair on May 15 at the PHCNW John Fryer Building, 5414 N.E. 148th Ave. in Portland. Attendees will get a look at...

Oregon's stimulus projects starting slowly.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Three months after the state's stimulus package became law, fewer projects had started construction than supporters had hoped for. According to a state progress report, people were working on only 174 of the 547...

Interest in Portland Community College pre-apprenticeship training program is rising.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Students who recently toured the Cyan PDX apartment building at 333 S.W. Harrison St. got a glimpse into their future and, at the same time, the future of the built environment. The building, designed to achieve...

Two Oregon counties differ in views of urban reserves.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf For almost a year, Washington and Clackamas counties have worked to determine where to place their urban reserves, and help Metro lay out future urban growth boundary expansion. But the two suburban counties have...

Southeast Portland project has green emphasis.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Ground-breaking took place on Thursday for the Catholic Charities' Clark Family Center at Southeast 28th Avenue and Powell Boulevard. The 60,000-square-foot, four-story building will be built with sustainability in...

Revised design of White Stag/Made in Oregon sign is up for review by Portland Landmark Commission.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report A revised design proposal for the White Stag/Made in Oregon sign will be reviewed by the Portland Landmarks Commission on June 8. Sign owner Ramsay Signs has proposed removing the existing 'Made in Oregon'...

Engineering projects will be displayed at Oregon State University.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report A robotic arm, DNA video game and a waste-reducing operating room recycling system are a few of the innovative projects that will be on display next week during Oregon State University's 10th annual engineering...

Affordable housing expert will give lectures in Oregon.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The University of Oregon's second Pietro Belluschi Distinguished Visiting Professor in Architecture Design will give a lecture next week at the White Stag building. Michael Pyatok, a housing designer and...

$15 million Washington state I-5 project goes to bid.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Washington State Department of Transportation has announced that it is accepting bids for a $15 million concrete rehabilitation project along Interstate 5, from North Kelso to Castle Rock. The project will...

Online survey will take closer look at downtown Oregon City.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report An 11-person group from the Oregon City business community is working to improve the city's downtown area. As part of its effort, nonprofit Main Street Oregon City is seeking community input via an online survey....

Open houses focus on designs of new Park & Ride stations for Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Two open houses will be held this month as the city of Milwaukie moves into the preliminary engineering phase for the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project. Both meetings will focus on the designs of Park & Ride...

Builders add some steel to Providence Health project in Northeast Portland.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Dan Carter Steel is going up on the nearly 300,000-square-foot, six-story Providence Office Park in Northeast Portland's Hollywood District. The $70 million project for Providence Health & Services also includes a...

Downtown Portland display serves as memorial.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Orange highway road cones are designed to attract drivers' attention, to divert them from obstacles or alert them to the presence of work crews nearby. Those same cones, in a different setting, can have a different...

Oregon-based SOLARC Architecture and Engineering Inc. hires Bacon and Ahmann.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report SOLARC Architecture and Engineering Inc. has hired Tracy Bacon and Dianne Ahmann. Bacon is experienced in structural engineering for commercial and residential buildings, including new construction, remodels...

PACE Engineers hires Poulson as branch manager of its Oregon City office.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report PACE Engineers has hired David Poulson as branch manager of its Oregon City office. Poulson has 24 years of experience in civil engineering and project management for public and private organizations, including...

HDR vice president Reichelt elected to railroad committee.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report HDR has announced that Kurt Reichelt, the firm's vice president and senior project manager, has been elected to serve on the Intermodal Operations Committee of the Association of American Railroads Associate...

Landscape architecture team member Marina Wrensch receives LEED certification.
May 6, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Satre Associates P.C. has announced that landscape architecture team member Marina Wrensch is now a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional. Wrensch has been with Satre since 2006....

Oregon counties seek development assistance.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf What happens when a city wants to spur development in a rural area, but there's little money to add roads or water lines? Usually, not much. An absence of infrastructure creates an impasse for new development in...

Seattle tunnel bill goes to Washington's governor.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett With a key piece of funding approved by the Washington state Legislature, the downtown Seattle tunnel project appears to be on track for bidding late this summer. The Legislature last week passed a bill that will...

Mixed-use building is taking shape in Northeast Portland.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Dan Carter Framing is nearly done on the Anvil Building in Northeast Portland. The two-story building at the corner of Northeast Failing Street and Garfield Avenue will have a combination of 10,000 square feet of retail and office...

Report by McGraw-Hill Construction: Construction firms don't expect quick rebound.
May 7, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report A new report by McGraw-Hill Construction says that construction firms are wary of the current construction market and don't expect it to rebound soon. The new quarterly Construction Confidence Index measures...

Annual Dozer Day fundraiser is on tap in Vancouver.
May 7, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Nutter Foundation will put kids in the driver's seat of bulldozers, dump trucks and other heavy construction equipment this month as part of its annual Dozer Day fundraiser. Dozer Day, which benefits the...

ReBuilding Center in Portland encourages reuse with competition.
May 7, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report As part of its 11th birthday celebration in June, the ReBuilding Center has invited neighborhoods around Portland to create projects out of salvaged building materials. The ReBuilding Center takes in salvaged...

Salem forum will focus on mixed-use development.
May 7, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report A community forum will be held next week to hear public comment on developing a neighborhood mixed-use center in Salem. The city in spring 2008 began planning a project to implement the adopted West Salem...

University of Oregon's elliptical machines will produce 6,000 kwh annually.
May 7, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Twenty of the elliptical machines at the University of Oregon's recreation center were retrofitted to capture energy and feed it to the university's power grid. ReCardio devices, which capture kinetic energy...

City of Vernonia addresses flooding with updated storm water plan.
May 7, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The city of Vernonia is in the process of creating a new Storm Water Master Plan. The plan would create a list of work needed to improve storm water flow conditions in the city, and comes in response to major...

Oregon Senate bill targets contractor information.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Tom Henderson At least two bills before the state Legislature attempt to protect people from identity theft. One would protect veterans while the other would protect construction contractors. The one dealing with contractors,...

Commentary: Federal stimulus bill includes key tool.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Mike Salsgiver During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., a key topic of discussion I had with our congressional delegation members and staff was whether the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - the so-called...

Small businesses in Oregon get federal stimulus help.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci A loan program for small businesses and start-ups got a huge boost Thursday from the federal stimulus package. The Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs can now administer up to $1.15 million of federal Small...

Portland-area Metro releases growth and labor report.
May 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Metro anticipates that by 2030 there will be demand in a seven-county area surrounding Portland for as much as 82 million square feet of industrial space and 188 million square feet of nonindustrial space. Yet...

Portland's MAX green line gets $32 million in federal stimulus funds.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Thursday reaffirmed his love affair with metropolitan Portland's rail system, announcing that $32 million in federal stimulus funds will go to the MAX green line. ...

Living Buildings touted in Portland.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett At the keynote speech Thursday at the Living Future conference in Portland, Jason McLennan challenged a crowd at The Nines to move to Living Buildings as soon as possible. McLennan, CEO of the Cascadia Region Green...

Study at Portland State University will look at combining solar panels, eco-roofs.
May 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Researchers at Portland State University this summer will begin a three-year study on the integration of solar panels and eco-roofs on rooftops. The researchers are working to determine if shading provided by...

Architecture Foundation of Oregon workshop aims to school teachers on design.
May 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Architecture Foundation of Oregon this summer will offer a workshop to show high school teachers how they can integrate architecture and construction into the basic principals of math, science, art and...

Idaho-based grocery store chain WinCo to build fourth store in Clark County.
May 8, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Idaho-based grocery store chain WinCo Foods is planning to construct a new, 94,000-square-foot store in Clark County, according to a report by The Columbian. The $40 million project will anchor Bowyer...

Portland mayor backs off Memorial Coliseum proposal.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett Mayor Sam Adams, after several weeks of pressure from the local architecture community to save Memorial Coliseum, has dropped plans to move forward with placing the new Portland Beavers baseball stadium in the Rose...

Commentary: Trust fund liability is serious business.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Dallas Thomsen Most employers operate as a corporation or a limited liability company. Using such an entity generally limits owners' individual liability for the employer's obligations. Except in special circumstances, creditors of...

Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs: Green focus needed for growth.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Dan Carter The 21st annual OAME Entrepreneurship Luncheon and Trade Show took place Thursday at the Oregon Convention Center with a green construction theme - Building Sustainability with Equity. More than 100 small and large...

Percentage of Lloyd Center Mall in Portland is for sale.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf Lloyd Center may be weathering the retail downturn better than other malls around the country, but that hasn't prevented its owner, Glimcher Realty Trust, from putting a yet-to-be-determined percentage of the...

Teens gain hands-on construction experience at Northwest Youth Careers Expo in Oregon.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci With schools across the state cutting shop classes, students might leave high school without having been exposed to technical education. On Thursday, masses of high schoolers got a crash course at the Oregon...

Prevailing wage bill passes Oregon House.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci A bill that would exempt portions of affordable housing projects from prevailing wage rules overwhelmingly passed the state House of Representatives on Friday despite vocal opposition by a few representatives. ...

Firms vie for redevelopment rights of former Little League site in Portland neighborhood.
May 11, 2009... Byline: Tyler Graf Eight development firms are vying for the redevelopment rights of a former Little League site in the Lents neighborhood. The Portland Development Commission owns the property and wants to create a vibrant and...

Newberg City Council mulls development extensions.
May 11, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Newberg City Council on May 18 will hold a hearing to decide whether to allow extensions for certain expiring developments. The proposed changes would allow the city to consider and approve on a case-by-case...

Oregon State University to offer tours of designated historic campus.
May 11, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Oregon State University on Thursday will hold a formal ceremony to honor its newly formed OSU National Historic District. In fall 2008, after two years of work by OSU's Facilities Services, the campus in...

Portland energy firm's safety director honored.
May 11, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Portland-based renewable energy company Iberdrola Renewables has announced that its director of environmental health safety and security, Gary LeMoine, has been honored by the American Wind Energy Association. ...

Commentary: One big question: Where do we go from here?
May 11, 2009... Byline: William Rutherford Gross domestic product in the first quarter dropped much more than expected, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. GDP plunged 6.1 percent from January to March, only slightly less than the 6.3-percent...

Building will be renovated for Oregon City's city hall.
May 11, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Oregon City is set to move its city hall into an existing building, and the city of Oregon City is looking for a contractor to perform renovations for the project. The bid includes furnishing all materials,...

New goal for Sylvania campus in Southwest Portland: net zero.
May 12, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Portland Community College considered striving for the top LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. It's a daunting task for any single building, yet the college's goal was to get a platinum rating for the...

How will entertainment district affect Portland neighborhood?
May 12, 2009... Byline: Sam Bennett The decision by Mayor Sam Adams and City Commissioner Randy Leonard to back off a proposal to raze the Memorial Coliseum and, instead, support a plan to locate the Beavers Triple-A baseball stadium in Lents Park will...

More Big Pipe work ahead in Northwest Portland industrial area.
May 12, 2009... Byline: Justin Carinci Work is scheduled to begin next month on a massive sewer project in the Northwest Portland industrial area. The Balch Consolidation Conduit is part of Portland's Big Pipe program. The city last year selected the...

Presentation by Portland State University professor will look at architecture and education.
May 12, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Sergio Palleroni, an associate architecture professor at Portland State University, on Thursday will give a free presentation, titled Architecture: Rethinking Practices and Boundaries in the Education of...

Mixed-use building proposed for North Portland.
May 12, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report Developer Rujax 1 LLC has proposed a new, 65,377-square-foot, mixed-use building on North Williams Avenue. Located at a site at 3632-3638 N. Williams Ave., the four-story building would include ground-floor...

Tualatin company joins Oregon safety program.
May 12, 2009... Byline: DJC Staff Report A window and door company in Tualatin has become the latest employer to join Oregon OSHA's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program. Milgard Windows and Doors, which is headquartered in Tacoma, Wash.,...